On September 11th, 2001, Gardner's husband said goodbye to her and their two children, went to work at the World Trade Center, and never returned home. Trulson's memoir bravely tackles not only the trauma of having a loved one die so horrifically, but also the guilt and uneasiness of moving on. A touching recollection about loving and losing.—Daphne Elizabeth Muller, New York City

I felt as though I were peering into Trulson's diary while reading Left Me, and I felt privileged to be granted such personal insight into the magnitude of her loss and enormity of her grief. Make no mistake, Trulson is direct and does not gloss over the very dark and very complex dimensions of unparalleled pain, but she faces it bravely and shares it with utmost dignity.—Astrid Carrillo, Los Angeles

Trulson is smart and well-attuned to our society in the way she bluntly addresses the possibility that people would dismiss her pain because of the fact that she did not have to worry about money. I felt great empathy for her, due, in some part, to her openness, and I felt joy right alongside her when she found love again. Her story may seem a bit too much like a fairytale to some, but I was happy to leave irony at the door.—Julia Rogers, Santa Cruz, CA

Left Me was disorganized and unfocused. Gardner Trulson skims through her relationship with her first husband, who perished on 9/11, and then moves on to the fabulous new life she created for herself with her new husband.—Elizabeth deV. Moeller, Syracuse, NY

One minute he was an average Joe from Jersey, and the next a bewildered, accidentally famous face on televisions worldwide. Benfante was deemed a hero for helping carry a woman in a wheelchair 68 floors down from the World Trade Center minutes before its collapse on 9/11. His outward bravado concealed his growing despair and survivor's guilt. Benfante sweeps readers right inside the burning building as he negotiates the hazards of his descent. With raw honesty, he similarly shares his internal collapse into an "emotional dumpster" of despair in the following years until finally finding his place of clarity. The book's power is in its crisp delivery—straight from Benfante's heart and soul.—Verna Noel Jones, Aurora, CO

Hero does an excellent job of highlighting the disconnection between how Benfante was feeling about his 9/11 experience and the way it was portrayed in the media. Although Benfante was being feted as a hero, he was not able to deal with the emotional turmoil he was experiencing and so began to lose those very parts of himself that made him a hero.—Elizabeth deV. Moeller, Syracuse, NY

I share Benfante's conflict in realizing how giving his actions were, but also feeling heartbroken for all those who gave much more with far less fanfare.—Deidra MacLeod, Natick, MA

Hero warms your heart and then breaks it as Benfante describes the haunting look in so many firemen's eyes as they climbed the stairs that morning as so many others were escaping.—Katie Calder, Evanston, IL

What Belfante did was heroic, but I think it should have been left at that. A good portion of this book is about his television appearances, the galas he attended, and the awards he was given. Of course, people are going to want to hear Belfante's story—it was one of the good things we can take away from that awful day—but I don't think a book of this kind is appropriate.—Emily Rogers, New York City

At times, Hero is candid and self-effacing; however, at other times it feels manufactured and self-placating (he claims he didn't know Oprah Winfrey "was a big deal"). Perhaps if he had focused on his recondite emotions about his role as a hero instead of trying to justify this status, the book would have been a bit more compelling.—Daphne Elizabeth Muller, New York City

On September 11, 2001, Manning was enveloped in a massive fireball of jet fuel. While it took much of her skin, a few digits, and nearly her life, the flames also fired up her amazing inner toughness. Vowing never to surrender, she fights minute by minute to regain the simplest life skills: breathing, speaking, walking, and the strength to hug her toddler, Tyler. In Strength, Manning writes boldly, from the depths of her frayed nerve endings, to show that we all can triumph over unspeakable tragedy.—Verna Noel Jones, Aurora, CO

At its core, Strength is a story of love, as it is the love of her family that propels Manning out of the World Trade Center. It's also the love she receives from her family, friends, and strangers around the world that bolsters her spirit and gives her the chance to fight off death. Manning does not allow herself to wallow in the overwhelming sorrow of the attacks, but with sharp wit looks toward her recovery. Her attitude and tenacity in the wake of her trauma is moving and inspiring.—Astrid Carrillo, Los Angeles

While following Manning from the burn unit to the addition of her second son, I found myself on my own journey of emotions.—Emily Rogers, New York City

This story really hit home to me as a mother. Strength is a remarkable tale of love and how it moves us to heal.—Tracey Cheesman, Mt. Carmel, IL

The book was derailed only by the author's occasional namedropping of the designer brands she wore before and after the attacks (mentioning an Hermès scarf to hide the skin grafts on her neck seemed forced and unnecessary), and her repeated discussion of vanity and body-image issues sometimes made me think she was forgetting the 9/11 victims who didn't get a second chance at life.—Katie Calder, Evanston, IL